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In order to function, the human brain relies on neurotransmitters binding to certain receptors, which in turn initiate a biological response in us, such as a muscle movement or an emotion.
When drugs enter the brain, they bind to these receptors as well, and the receptor initiates a response-that response is the 'high'. As prolonged abuse becomes addiction, that drug goes from being the brain's disruptive houseguest to its newest homeowner. it hijacks the receptor for so long that the brain stops making the neurotransmitters for that receptor.
In other words, addiction has induced a physiological change in the brain. Now in a profoundly impaired physical state, the brain is diseased. It will remain this way long after the addict has stopped using, and often those changes are not necessarily reversible.
For this reason, we don't refer to recovering drug addicts as 'cured'. Unlike a virus, addiction is not curable. It is a treatable chronic disease, like diabetes.
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